Thursday, September 30, 2010

101 Things to Do with Tofu: A Giveaway!

I love tofu. In fact, I was going to write a cute little haiku about how much I love my precious pressed soybean curd. But it's late and I'm tired. So forget the haiku. Instead, I'll just gush about how awesome and versatile tofu can be. I mean, what other plant protein can go from scrambled "eggs" to pudding to stir-fry to un-cheesecake?

Some people, especially new vegetarians and many omnis, say they're intimidated by tofu. And that's understandable. It's hard to grasp the possibilities when there are so many. That's why 101 Things to Do with Tofu by Donna Kelly and Anne Tegtmeier is a handy-dandy little cookbook. Papa Crunk ordered a few copies to give away to two lucky readers! Totally his idea ... because my dad is the coolest.

This cute, spiral-bound volume literally contains 101 things to do with tofu, from Tofu Sloppy Joes to Tofu Piccata and Spanakopita to Easy Ranch Dressing. Here are a few things I've made from it recently. Last week's breakfast were these Tex-Mex Migas:

This was unlike any tofu scramble I'd ever had before. The recipe called for crumbled tortilla chips, which got all soft and tortilla-like in the scrambled tofu and tomatoes. The book isn't totally vegan, though many recipes are. The vegetarian recipes, however, are very easily veganizable. For example, this one called for cheddar so I subbed Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds.

Last night, I made Spaghetti and Cheat Balls:

I'd been craving "meat"balls for some time, and this recipe totally hit the spot. The baked tofu balls hold their shape very well thanks to lots of pressing, plenty of breadcrumbs, and a little Ener-G Egg Replacer powder. They were the perfect topping to my whole wheat spaghetti and Whole Foods brand roasted red pepper pasta sauce. By the way, most of these recipes are uber-simple with minimal steps and few ingredients.

If you'd like a chance to win 101 Things To Do with Tofu, leave a comment about your favorite thing to do with tofu. If you don't have a Blogger account with a listed email, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.

For an extra chance to win, tweet about the giveaway and leave an additional comment letting me know you did. For an extra, extra chance, link back to the contest from Facebook and leave yet another comment to let me know. And finally, for fourth chance, link back to this contest on your blog (if you have one), and leave yet another comment to fill me in. That's four chances to win!

Good luck! I'll randomly select two winners next Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. CST. Oh, and by the way, Friday is World Vegetarian Day! So happy veg day!!!

Hi! Hard to say... perhaps my favorite thing to do with tofu is cream it in a food processor mixing in fresh herbs or olives or sun-dried tomatoes and make wonderful spreads for bread and crackers, or to dip raw veggies in. Yum!!

I cut my tofu in long pieces, then I sprinkle it lightly with Adobo, then honey and then I bread it with Italian breading. Bake it for 35 minutes at 370 until its toasty (bake uncovered). It is so delicious that I make it twice a week. Its great with any dish. That's one way I love tofu.

It's probably a toss up...I'm a HUGE fan of breakfast, so I love a nice un-cheezy tofu scramble, but I also make a mean General Tso's Tofu. Both awesome in very different ways...maybe a scramble with General Tso's sauce...hmm....now I'm hungry!! :)

I was intimidated by tofu when I first became veg, so I signed up for a tofu cooking class at a local health food store and they de-mystified it for me and there has been no looking back. My favorite thing to do with tofu is use as an egg replacer in baked goods. My mom's tried-and-true recipes all contain eggs, so I sub in tofu and I find it makes cakes, breads, etc. much more moist. They seem to stay "fresher" longer too.

My first tofu experiment was a complete disaster. I didn't know what I was doing and mixed silken tofu with chocolate pudding mix. Inedible. Now I love it like a bad habit! Current fave is take some Tree of Life smoked tofu and marinate it in chili powder, cumin, and lime juice and then fry it all up with a boatload of veggies for vegan fajitas.

My latest favorite is making "tofu fingers".... I slice a block into thin strips and bake for about 30 minutes. Then I use them for dipping in ranch, pizza sauce, and heck- anything I can find in my fridge.

My parents are from spain so I love to put tofu in my dads traditional paella recipe instead of the meat. we had it when we watched spain kick ass in the world cup! :D

I want a copy!!im just starting to really experiment and i have NO idea what im doing this would be GREAT. I live in texas (and not austin unfortunately) so there arent a plethora of vegans around to help me out.

I've honestly been too scared to do ANYTHING with Tofu, other than the ONE time I made chocolate cake using just a block of tofu and a cake mix. I'd love to learn how to better incorporate it in my diet.

My favorite thing to do with tofu is making finger food for my vegan 2 year old. I slice the tofu into sticks that are 1/2 inch thick and the length of the tofu block. Brown the sticks in a skillet in some vegetable oil and a couple dashes of tamari. Cool until touchable and then let him gobble them up!

I began eating tofu this summer. I have used it in different stir fry dishes and to make an alfredo sauce. Since I am a novice to cooking and preparing tofu, I don't know what my favorite tofu dish is yet. I'm just happy to be exploring and discovering new ways to eat it.

We just started really experimenting with tofu. So far, my favorite thing is to make tofu scramble. I just started after you gave a recipi a few weeks ago!! I have been a vegaterian for 3 years, starting to make the vegan switch!!

Hard to choose as it is so versatile. But I think to marinate and grill, would eb the best thing, and you can chage the marinade to whatever takes your fancy. Either that or some form of decadent dessert - my kids would say chocolate pie for sure!

Satay Tofu is my long-time favourite. I coat the tofu (sometimes double-coat, even) in cornflour (corn starch) and fry it on all sides, so that it's extra crispy. Then, I submerge it in a peanut satay sauce, with lots of veg. Served over rice, it's definitely the tasties thing to do with tofu. :)

Fav thing to do with tofu? That's a hard one. I love it baked/roasted. It's fantastic in stir-fries or pan-fried coated with a little cornstarch. But honestly I also love it fresh and plain with maybe a little sweet and sour dipping sauce or in a fresh TLT with hummus instead of veg mayo. Oh, it's also fantastic crumbled into veg chili. Sorry I couldn't pick just one, it's so fantastic seved so many ways (also makes a great garlic dip wen blended up, for veggies).

I love dry frying tofu to ensure the texture is just right. Then I dip the triangular shaped slices into a mixture of water and honey mustard and 1 /4 dry mix. The dry mix contains flour and a bunch of delicious spices. I proceed to fry the coated tofu. So yummy!

I like to make pad thai with fried tofu. Yum! Or just a basic scrambled tofu with mushrooms and spinach. Or baked tofu on a sandwich with avocado and sprouts. Thanks!ceevegnashville [at] gmail [dot] com

Wait... I own this book! I totally bought it off amazon.co.jp, but I must have lent it to someone right off the bat cause I can't find it. But who did I lend it to? The hunt is on. Thanks for reminding me, Bianca!

I am brand new to changing my lifestyle and could really use all the help I can get in this project of evolving from my deep set old eating arkansas habits.I am super motivated and can thank you for being an inspiration in this change.

The main thing I make with tofu is tofu scramble (besides baking it) so I guess scramble would be my fav. I'd LOVE to make those cheat balls though! Since giving up meat I crave meatballs from time to time.

My name is Bianca ...

About Me

I'm a 9-year vegan, 19-year vegetarian from the Mid-South, not too far from the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. And that means cornbread, butter beans, and collard greens.
These days, I live in Memphis. Check out my cookbook — Cookin' Crunk. It's filled with yummilicious veganized soul food and country classics.